It is common that the documentation supplied with products made by small companies is just a few sheets of paper, possibly stapled together, with small print and small diagrams, and not much information beyond the minimum required to call it an Owner's Manual. They are sometimes confusing, and nearly always leave out a lot that would make life easier for the builder and user. If you have purchased kits before, this was probably what you got. We have more respect for our customers than this!
From the beginning we have worked to produce high quality documentation which communicates really useful information. We do our own "printing" with a production quality Xerox process copier, and only produce a few manuals at a time. This means that whenever we think of a better way to document, or receive constructive feedback from a customer, that we can immediately update the documentation. And we do! Always! As a result the documentation has steadily gotten better, and we don't have a lot of "old" docs that we need to get rid of (by sending them out with the product!). If a change has significant impact upon the customer, we either mark up what few old copies we have, add an addendum page, or trash them and replace them with the newest version. The documentation you receive with your unit is always the latest available.
As a result of this care (and respect for our customer!) we receive high praise, such as "The best documentation ever," or "Why can the big manufacturers do a job as good as this?"
The SuperDF manuals are printed on 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper, and bound between color card-stock covers, using a plastic comb binding. These lay flat, even if folded over around the binding. The content was produced using the Macintosh computer and printed with a 300 dot per inch printer, so the type quality is clean and easy to read. Various type font styles and sizes have been used to make it easy to scan to find what you need. Text sections are done in 12 point "Times" font. This is a good sized and easy to read font. Drawings were produced using Macintosh tools such as Claris Draw. They are large, complete, well annotated, and easy to read.
Every buyer of the SDC2 and its related antennas receive (at
least) one manual, the "Owner's Manual." Here are some of the things
covered in this 41 page book.
In addition to the "Owner's Manual." kit buyers also receive one manual for each kit purchased. These are 8-1/2 x 11, bound like the Owners Manual. They are step-by-step, with large line-drawings showing parts placement and parts orientation.
These instructions have been very thoroughly tested. They were created by making minor changes to the documentation used by the Subcontractors who assemble our ready-built products. These people work in their own home using their own tools. Over the years of operating this way, the instructions have gone through many updates to improve clarity, so that even a new worker can follow them without needing my direct input.
We are so confident in our instructions that we offer a guarantee on our kits. If you can't get it working, we will! The only thing you have to pay is $10, which helps pay for shipping back to you. Oh... we do require that you call us first, and give us a chance to help you over the telephone.
This is 13 pages. The two circuit board layout drawings are easy to read and follow. They are exactly to scale in every respect, and are each a full page in size, which is more than two times real size. They are in color, showing a close approximation of the actual part's own color, and the color codes of resistors, wires, etc.
Additional drawings provide annotated step-by-step instructions for mechanical assembly.
One page provides all the information needed to identify part polarity (such as diodes and LEDs) and parts orientation (such as ICs and their sockets). There is a short general tutorial on how to read the values of the parts from their coded markings. The coded markings and value are shown on the pictures of the boards
Each of the Antenna Kits have their own dedicated manual. (You never have to sort out which instructions pertain to your kit.) The kit manual for the SDV1-FRK (the most popular kit antenna) has 16 pages.
Instructions are extensive in describing each step-by-step operation needed to build the units. For the most part they are Full-scale detailed and annotated line drawings of the quality one would see from Heath Kit (...something you old-timers, like me, will remember!). For some details, oversized drawings are used. The document shows in true full scale exactly how long each cut should be. Simply lay the part or coax cable down on the manual and cut exactly to match the picture.
Testing is shown in a pictorial form, with text instructions indexed to the picture.
Complete parts list.
George R. Andrews President, BMG Engineering, Inc.
George R. Andrews (Russ, K6BMG)
BMG Engineering, Inc.
9935 Garibaldi Avenue
Temple City, CA 91780, USA
Voice: 1(626)285-6963
FAX: 1(626)285-1684 (24 Hour, automatic)
Email: grandrews@aol.com
Web: http://Members.aol.com/bmgenginc
(9 Feb 1996)
Send E-mail to grandrews@aol.com.
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